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Ophelia
the Ophelia is the second god of the Other People. Her main domain is time. She shares dominion over water with the Laethelia. She presides over duty and obligation along with the Ophelene. She shares knowledge of transformation with the Laetha.'Intro to the Ophelia' on the Otherfaith site She was deified after the Clarene healed her. Her deification turned her into the god of the river as well as the god of time.'Founding of the West' by Aine Llewellyn on AO3 She also creates the Winterlands.'the Ophelia & the Clarene' by Aine Llewellyn on AO3 She is revered most often as the god of sorrow and sadness within Otherfaith practice. Personality Perhaps the best description of the Ophelia is withdrawn. She is a quiet god, most often working behind the scenes to sustain the West and her People. Rather than the homely warmth of the Clarene or the boisterousness of the Dierne, the Ophelia is about duty. This duty may at times strangle emotional response or engagement from the god. Whereas the Clarene has restrained power, the Ophelia is everything-restrained. She is cloaked in veils and heavy silks, slowing her movement. She sits with her back ramrod straight, and her gaze is unflinching. Externally she is alien, awkward to humanity, too firm to be a water god. She is like rocks laying at the bottom of the river – edges worn smooth, discerning marks worn away.http://daoineile.com/about/gods-spirits/the-four-gods/masterpost-the-ophelia/ She is as capable of love and compassion as any of the Four Gods. We see her challenger side more often, and she patrons those who confront established systems or bring cataclysmic change, but she just as often patrons those who are aching in suffering. She submerges us to wash away our pain, to strip us down to the bone so that we can see what truly hurts us. She can grant spirits entirely new bodies and identities to free them from suffering. She is a great transformer, just like the Clarene, but she transforms through water rather than soil. She is a fierce defender of what she values. This is seen in her petitioning on behalf of spirits she adopts, and it is also present in her conflicts with the Laetha. The two are often seen as aggressors, locked in conflict, but it is more accurate to understand them as having similar energies. They do not fight because they are opposites but because of their similarity. The same cold expressionless mask that the Ophelia wears is worn by the Laetha.http://daoineile.com/about/gods-spirits/the-four-gods/masterpost-the-ophelia/ River The West is said to have a winding river coursing throughout all of it; this River is said to be the Ophelia's body, both her and separate from her.http://daoineile.com/otherfaith-mythology/ophelia-clarene At times it is incredibly deep, others a narrow and shallow stream. It may be connected to a variety of other rivers, especially in the United States. It is connected to spiritual journeying in the Otherfaith and where all journeyers must eventually pass through. At times it is just called The River, though it is also known as The River Ophelia. The flow of the river is connected to the flow of time in the West, hence why it sometimes freezes, goes backward, or behaves abnormally. the Ophelia seems largely unconcerned with such abnormalities, though she originally tries to stop the river from freezing (likely because the freezing would create a new section of the otherworld).http://daoineile.com/otherfaith-mythology/ophelia-clarene/ the Ophelia observes the flow of time, rarely interfering. She does interfere when someone steps into the direct time flow or is forced into it, such as the Dierne, and she can manipulate those who enter into the river. There are also numerous worlds that one can travel to only through drowning in the river and being carried there by the Ophelia, notably The Wintertime and The Lakehouse. Part of her conflict with the Laetha stems from the fire god's time-traveling abilities, which encroach upon the Ophelia's rule as a watcher of time. Moreso than the Gate, the River is the ultimate portal to the West. As long as one is able to find an (otherworldly) river, one can find the West again. Symbols * algae * black and blue colored birds * blue * blue fire * clocks * death * decay * lakes * hourglasses * ocean monsters * peacocks * ponds * rain * river stones * river weeds * rivers * shapeshifting * sickly/mossy green * simplistic masks * skulls * snow/winter/ice * swamps * unicorns * unpleasant bodily functions * wells Epithets * Bluebird * Blue Fire God * Dead Women * Death * Dutiful God * Heartmaker * Keeper * King River * Lady Death * Lady of the Veil * Lady of the Waters * River Women * Silent Observer * Sky Ophelia * Sorrowful * Soundless * Vile Queen * Wishmaker * Without Fate * Wounded One References Category:Gods Category:The West